Index-drawer.



S. E. MOORE.

INDEX DRAWER.

APPLICATION HLED AUG. l2. l9l6.

Patented May 22, 1917.

F-iy. 4

WITNEssss may ED STATES ATENT OFFICE.

SAMUEL EDWARD MOORE, OF HARRISBURG, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR OF ONE FOURTH TO JAMES MGKIBDY, 0F CARLISLE, PENNSYLVANIA, AND ONE-FOURTH TO FRAN K M. EASTMAN, 0F HARRISBURG, PENNSYLVANIA.

- INDEX-DRAWER.

Specification of Letters Patent. Pat 61113811 May 22, 1917.

Application filed August 12, 1916. Serial No. 114,576.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, SAMUEL EDWARD Moons, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Harrisburg, in the county of Dauphin and State of Pennsylvania, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Index-Drawers; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description thereof.

My invention pertains to filing devices,

and relates especially to filing devices of the kind which are generally known as vertical filing drawers. In the ordinary construction of vertical filing drawers, as now generally to be found on the market, the. objection is present that the material filed in the drawer has a tendency to do one of two things,- either it tends to fall over, when the drawer is not filled, or the rear follower not moved up tightly; or, if the drawer is completely filled, or the rear follower is moved up tightly, the material tends to work itself out of place, and individual units of the filed material are difiicult to withdraw. Moreover, if the material has been properly filed, it is necessary to release the follower before a unit can be removed; and, usually, this release of the follower is not in itself suflicient, it being necessary, generally, to move along the units of the filed material, so as to loosen such material at the part where the unit is to be removed.

It is the principal object of this invention to eradicate the disadvantages referred to above, and to provide'a vertical filing drawer in which the units of material will always be positioned properly so that they can readily be examined, and in which any desired specification, taken in connection with the appended claims.

made in the form described and shown without exceeding the scope thereof as defined in the appended claims.

Referring now to the drawings:

Figure 1 is a side elevation of a vertical. filing drawer constructed in accordance with my invention, part of the side guide being broken away, to display the socket for receiving the lower separator-strips;

Fig. 2 is a perspective View of the same;

Fig. 3 is a perspective view of one of the separator-strips; and

Fig. 4 is a perspective view of a modified form of separator-strip.

Like reference characters refer to like parts throughout the following specification, and the several figures of the drawing.

Referring now to the drawings, the filing drawer consists of a front 10, sides 11, bottom 12, and a back 13. Upon the sides 11 are provided guide-supports 14:, which coeperate with the ordinary guides in the drawer-cabinet when the drawer is pushed outor pulled in by means of the handle 15. Within the drawer, there is provided the'usual follower 16, which may be moved forwardly and rearwardly in accordance with the amount of material which is present in the drawer. As thus far described, the drawer is of a form which is well known on the market.

In carrying out my invention, I provide the sides 11 of, the drawer with a plurality of slots 17 which extend a short distance downward from the top edges thereof. In the drawing,-two of these slots are shown, one for each of the 'top separator-strips; but more can be provided, in accordance with the number of separator-strips which are to be used. In each pair of the slots 17 is mounted a separator-strip 18, which is of. a length substantially equal to the outside width of the drawer. Each of the separator-strips is bent over, at its end, to form lugs 19. When the separator-strips are put into position in the slots 17, these lugs 19 engage the outer faces of the sides 11, and therebyretain the separator-strips in position.

Disposed vertically below the slots 17 are sockets for the lower separator-strips. Each of the sockets consists of a slot 20, similar to the slots 17. The portion of the drawer-side immediately above each of the slots 20 is cut away, however, so as to form an aperture 21. The lower separator-strips 22 are similar to the upper separator-strips 18, and, like them, are provided with end lugs 22*. The end lugs 20 of the separatorstrips 22 can readily be pushed through the apertures 22 whereupon the separator-strips 522 can be made to engage in the slots 20, with the end lugs 22 engaging the outside of the drawer-sides.

It will be seen that the construction described above requires very little modification of the ordinary vertical filing drawer, and is exceedingly inexpensive; moreover, the separator-strips, when in position, take up no appreciable space between the units of filed material. It will be observed, further, that the separators support the contents of the drawer a great deal more evenly than can be the case with the ordinary constructions now on the market; moreover, they do not interfere with the use of the follower. The provision of the lower separator-strips prevents the movement of the bottom parts of the filed units,-which might take place even though the top parts were properly held in place.

\Vhen material of the ordinary width is being filed, the top separator-stri s, being exceedingly thin, will not be visi 1e. For use in cases where the material to be filed is especially narrow, I may use, in place of the top separator-strips 18, separator-strips 23 of the kind shown in Fig. 4. In this case, the separator-strips are provided with a downwardly extended central portion 24, against which the narrow units of filed material will readily rest. The separator-strips 23 are provided with end lugs 25 similar to the lugs 19 on the strips 18 referred to above.

Having thus fully described my invention what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. The combination with a filing drawer including a pair of sides, of a relatively narrow spacing member extending across the drawer, adjacent the top thereof, said 'member comprising a bar having its ends bent to form locking lugs, said bar being removably associated with said sides and locked against accidental lengthwise or sidewise movement.

2. The combination witha filing drawer including a pair of sides, of a relatively narrow spacing member extending across the drawer, adjacent the top thereof, said member comprising a U-shaped bar removably mounted in sockets formed in said sides, the sides of said U-shaped bar being adapted to abut the external surface of said drawer sides to prevent sidewise movement.

3. The combination with a filing drawer including a pair of sides, of a relatively narrow spacing member extending across the drawer, adjacent the top thereof, said member being removably associated with said sides, and a second spacing member below said first-named member and removably associated with said sides.

4.-. The combination with a filing drawer, including a pair of sides having oppositely disposed slots in the top edges thereof, and having oppositely disposed sockets below said slots, of a relatively narrow spacing member extending across said drawer and engaging said slots, and a second spacing member extending across said drawer and engaging said sockets.

In testimony whereof, I the said SAMUEL EDWARD Moons, have hereunto set my hand.

SAMUEL EDWARD MUORE. Witnesses A. COLEMAN SHEETZ, J. H. Fnn'rro. 

